Teenage mutant hero pod car was voted a smash hit

Two schoolboys have helped set the wheels in motion for driverless pod cars by winning a design competition.

Denzel Onyango and Jamie Williams designed a two person pod powered by a special track made of solar panels.

It includes high tech equipment for the driver to personalise the vehicle’s colour and light settings via their smart phone.

And it even has an in-built entertainment system.

“We really wanted to come up with something that was different and didn’t just feel like any other form of public transport that 20 other people have sat in before you,” said Jamie, who is 16.

The ‘Pods of the Future’ competition challenged all year 12 students in Milton Keynes to design a self-driving vehicle for use in 2025.

Competition organisers Catapult are currently working on self-driving pods that are due to be trialled next year on city footpaths.

A Catapult spokesman said: “An impressive variety of designs were presented, including a cylindrical pod with wheels that rotate around a gyroscope-controlled frame and a playful Moo-Kar with black solar panels shaped to resemble cow hide!”

Denzel and Jamie’s winning design impressed the panel of 10 specialist judges so much that the pair have now been offered a week-long work experience placement at Catapult next year.

A spokesman said: “Hopefully by 2025 we’ll have made the technological advances to ensure that some of their features can be implemented.”